A recent reader poll around the new Sony Xperia 1 VIII has revealed an unusually positive response for a premium Android phone carrying one of the highest price tags in the segment. The reaction has raised a broader question about what exactly buyers are responding to: Sony’s phone itself, or the increasingly rare features it continues to preserve.

According to the poll results, nearly a quarter of respondents said they would be willing to pay the Xperia 1 VIII’s starting price of €1,500 or £1,400 for the base 12GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration. Higher-capacity versions push the pricing further, with the 1TB model reaching €2,000 or £1,850.

The results stood out partly because Sony’s latest flagship has not been released in several major markets. Some commenters noted that they were interested in the device but could not purchase it officially in their regions, limiting the number of potential buyers reflected in the poll.

Much of the discussion centered on features that have largely disappeared from flagship smartphones. The Xperia 1 VIII retains both a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot, two additions that many competing premium devices abandoned years ago. For some readers, those features appeared to carry as much weight as the phone’s broader hardware package.

At the same time, the pricing remained a major point of criticism. A sizeable portion of respondents said they were unwilling to spend more than €1,000 on a smartphone under any circumstances. Others argued that competing flagship models offer stronger overall hardware value at lower prices.

Several recurring complaints also emerged in reader discussions. Critics pointed to the 6.5-inch 1080p+ display as underwhelming for a device positioned in the ultra-premium category. Concerns were also raised about thermal management, with commenters suggesting that the chipset lacks sufficient cooling support.

Battery and charging hardware drew criticism as well, particularly from users who expected more noticeable upgrades over the previous Xperia generation. Sony’s camera approach continued to attract mixed reactions. While some appreciated the company’s direction and image processing philosophy, others felt the photographic results did not consistently match what similarly priced “Ultra” flagship phones currently deliver.

Even with those reservations, the overall response suggests there remains a dedicated audience for hardware features that much of the smartphone industry has phased out. The continued presence of expandable storage and wired audio support appears to resonate strongly with a section of premium buyers, especially those frustrated by increasingly standardized flagship designs.

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For Sony, the poll reflects both the strength and the limits of its current strategy. The Xperia line still appeals to a loyal niche, but its pricing and market availability continue to shape how far that enthusiasm can realistically extend.